Mother's anguish as son's body recovered

CIARAN Noonan, the murdered drug addict whose body was discovered in a ditch in Co Meath on Friday night -- two weeks after he disappeared -- owed a debt of a few thousand euro to a Dublin drugs gang, gardai believe.

CIARAN Noonan, the murdered drug addict whose body was discovered in a ditch in Co Meath on Friday night -- two weeks after he disappeared -- owed a debt of a few thousand euro to a Dublin drugs gang, gardai believe.

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Mother's anguish as son's body recovered

Independent.ie

CIARAN Noonan, the murdered drug addict whose body was discovered in a ditch in Co Meath on Friday night -- two weeks after he disappeared -- owed a debt of a few thousand euro to a Dublin drugs gang, gardai believe.

The father of one is believed to have been beaten to death after he was abducted in broad daylight at Russell Avenue in the East Wall area of Dublin on October 20.

Information regarding the whereabouts of his body was given in a telephone call to a priest in Co Meath in the middle of last week. After a search, the body was found in a ditch, two fields in from the road, near Drumree.

It is believed that Noonan was killed by members of a drugs gang based in Coolock in north Dublin, which is led by a notorious former robber turned drug dealer.

Noonan, 29, was given the job of collecting money for the gang from other addicts in the north inner city. However, gardai believe he had been taking money to feed his own addiction and had been under threat before his death.

Intelligence reaching the gardai suggests that the gang's intention had not been to kill Noonan but to beat him severely to force him or his family to pay his "debt".

The dead man's family had previously had to raise money to pay off his drugs debts. However, this time Noonan appeared to believe that he was going to be killed and was heard shouting: "I'm dead" after he was hit with an iron bar and then dragged into the back of a car.

Gardai yesterday reissued their appeal for information about the events surrounding his abduction. They asked anyone with information about a stolen VW Golf with a distinctive rear spoiler, tinted windows and spoked wheels, used by his kidnappers. The car was found at an underground car park at the Killegland apartment complex in Ashbourne, Co Meath, at 8pm on the day he was taken.

There have been two arrests so far -- of women suspected of withholding information. Both have been released without charge.

Noonan's mother, Geraldine, made repeated public calls for information about her son's whereabouts.

Yesterday, Mrs Noonan said that while she had hoped that her son would be found alive, at least now she would be able to give him a funeral.